Field Trips

Forests. Trails. Animals.

The ideal field trip. Just add kids.

Imagine your students wide-eyed at a moose. Nose-to-nose with a gray wolf. Burning off steam in a rope tunnel. Filled with a passion for frogs.

Bring your class on a field trip to Northwest Trek and you’ll get:

A tram tour around our Free-Roaming Area with elk, bison and more
Walking tours to see cougar, bears, wolves and others
Daily Keeper Chats
Plenty of covered picnic tables, plus a cafe
Our nature-based playground Kids’ Trek for after lunch
Optional learning programs (see below)
Can’t come to Northwest Trek? Do a Virtual Field Trip! Explore here.

Learning Programs

Owl Pellet Dissection Lab

Owl Pellet dissection lab

What do owls eat? Dissect an owl pellet and find out! Students will engage in a hands-on investigation of owl pellet contents with discussion facilitated by a naturalist. Afterwards, they’ll be escorted out into the wildlife park to see and learn about live raptors. Programs run for one hour.

Grades: 2 and up
Fee: $75/session
Number: Maximum 30 per session. Up to 3 sessions per day can be accommodated for large classes.
NGSS: Owl Pellet Dissection Lab supports these Next Generation Science Standards:

2-LS4-1 (2-LS4.D)
3-LS2.1 (LS2.D), 3-LS4-3 (LS4.C), 3-LS4-4 (LS4.D)
4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2
5-LS2-1 (LS2.A, LS2.B)
MS-LS1-7 (LS1.C), MS-LS2-1 (LS2.A), MS-LS2-2 (LS2.A), MS-LS2-3 (LS2.B), MS-LS2-4 (LS2.C)
HS-LS2-1 (LS2.A), HS-LS2-2 (LS2.C), HS-LS2-4 (LS2.B), HS-LS2-6, HS-LS4-5 (LS4.C)

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Wild Escape

An escape-room style outdoor program that gets students learning and collaborating on animal adaptations, environmental relationships and our role in protecting the wild.

Your mission: Meet with a naturalist to get your mission details. Break into teams to explore Northwest habitats, observe animals, read and discuss – then answer questions to unlock a series of boxes, each with a clue to the next part of the mission and the final solution.

Grades: 3-12
Fee: $55/program
Number: Maximum 50 students, split into 3, 4 or 5 teams depending on class size
Also: Chaperone participation is required
NGSS: Wild Escape supports the following Next Generation Science Standards.

3-LS3-2 (LS3.A, LS3.B), 3-LS4-2, 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4 (LS2.C)
4-LS1-1, 4-LS1-2, 4-ESS2-1 (ESS2.E), 4-ESS3-2
5-LS2-1 (LS2.A), 5-ESS3-1
3-5-ETS1-2
MS-ESS2-2 (ESS2.C), MS-ESS3-3 (ESS3.C)
HS-LS2-1 (LS2.A), HS-LS2-2 (LS2.A, LS2.C), HS-LS2-6, HS-LS4-4 (LS4.C), HS-LS4-5, HS-LS2-7 (LS2.C), HS-ESS2-2, HS-ESS2-7, HS-ESS2-7 (ESS2.E), HS-ESS3-1, HS-ESS3-3 (ESS3.C)

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Forest Forensics

What do wild animals do all day in the forest? Learn how to read visual cues on a hike in the forest with a naturalist, who will guide you through the process of analyzing what you see. Hike is on a paved pathway. Programs run 30-45 mins depending on class size.

Grades: K-12
Fee: $55/session
Number: Maximum 30 per session. Up to 3 sessions per day can be accommodated for large classes.

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All the details

Field Trip Prices

Sept-Feb: $8 per student and adult chaperone

March-April: $9 per student and adult chaperone

May-June: $11 per student and adult chaperone

Know Before You Go

Numbers

Northwest Trek offers discounted admission for students and parent chaperones on official school field trips. We require a minimum of 15 people.

Hours

Please check out the park’s opening hours before you book a trip. Note: we are closed Monday-Thursday from early October to mid-March.

Chaperones

Northwest Trek allows teachers to include an unlimited number of parent chaperones in the reservation process. These chaperones must be included in your final payment. The minimum requirement for all visiting schools, including high schools, is one adult chaperone for every seven (7) students.
Additional non-discounted tickets may be purchased day of at the front gate but additional tram seating is based on availability. If additional tickets are needed after final payment is made please call our reservations office at 360-832-7166.

Making a Reservation

Complete the online school group reservation form at least twenty (20) days prior to your tour date.
You cannot use coupons, complimentary passes, or memberships to Northwest Trek or Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium with your reservation.
Final head count and full payment is required fourteen (14) days prior to your tour date.
We accept single checks, Visa, Master Card, American Express or Discover credit cards, and purchase orders (will be billed in advance upon receipt).
We will mail you a confirmation letter, along with admission ticket wristbands, once your payment is processed.
There are no refunds once payment has been processed.
We do not accept reservations on special event days or holidays.

The Day of Your Visit

Everyone in your reserved group must wear an admission ticket wristband prior to arriving at the gate.
Please line up single file so we can check you in when everyone has arrived.
You must arrive at the tram tour station at least 15 minutes before your scheduled tram tour time. Please allow ample time to arrive at the park, go through check-in and use the restrooms.
If your group misses its scheduled time, we will try to reschedule you on the next available tram tour – but we cannot guarantee a tour.
Teachers must ride the tram tour with their students.
Chaperones must stay with and supervise their assigned students at all times while visiting the park.

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Virtual Field Trips

Wildlife inside your classroom.

Can’t come to Northwest Trek? We’ll bring Trek to you! Book a 45-minute Virtual Field Trip video conference and watch your students get inspired by nature to think like scientists.

Taught by a naturalist, the trips use the Zoom platform to go behind the scenes and talk with the keepers who look after our animals, meeting current science standards in a compelling way.

Virtual Field Trips